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Tuesday, October 24, 2017

To give you a little background on my love for boiled peanuts, I first learned of them on Paula Deen's show, back around 2004. I tried my best to find a video clip of this episode to share with you, but all I could find was this excerpt of her actually making them. It was interesting. I had never heard of such a thing. Living in Minnesota back then, and still being fairly fussy, cooking wild rice in a new hot dish was on the edge for me, boiling peanuts sounded like pure craziness.

Part of the reason I remember this Paula Deen episode so well is that I saw it shortly before my first trip as an adult to South Carolina. During that trip, I visited with my cousin's family in Upstate S.C. While out seeing the sites and learning the area, I can remember being at a Peach Farm, and while driving away, asking my cousin about this "boiled peanut thing" I saw on the cooking show. We whipped around in the road and went right back to the peach farm where they sell boiled peanuts. Plain and Cajun style. They sell them in big styrofoam cups (the same cups we would get coffee or soup in here in the Midwest). Dear ol' cuz got me a huge mug of both to try. I was so excited to try them. Here is this mug full of steaming boiled peanuts. I'm sad to say, I hated them. It was just to much. Peanuts were supposed to be dry, cold (or at least room temp), and DRY! Oh well, at least I tried, right? While heading for home a day or two later, a couple of hours down the road into Tennessee, I kept thinking about them and decided that I did like them. It was just the shock of it all.....I needed more boiled peanuts! Thankfully, I found one gas station that sold them and was able to munch away going down the interstate.

I've been in love with these boiled peanuts, ever since. If any one in my circle heads south, there is always the request to bring back as many as they can for me. I can find canned boiled peanuts locally, but they just aren't always the same. I've made boiled peanuts a couple times, but getting the right raw/green peanuts shipped to Wisconsin when you are such a novice can be a gamble.

But then some days are your lucky day.... The day you see on facebook, that your foodie friend Lynn, in South Carolina, is home making boiled peanuts. You wish you were there to help, learn, and sample! I took a shot and asked Lynn if she would ship any to Wisconsin, I mean just maybe she needed help eating them up! Well, Lynn said yes, and I couldn't have been happier :)

A couple days later I had a wonderful package waiting on the porch. AND.... Lynn added the bonus of Cantaloupe Jam! And, just to show you the power of the south, and the southern cook... I am a person who does not care for Cantaloupe, but Lynn makes a mighty tasty Cantaloupe Jam, and I will try her cantaloupe foods any day!

If I have you craving any southern foods now, go on and check out Lynn's blog:

Want to get a Daily Goodie Box? Goodie Boxes that are not only 100% free, but they also cover the shipping costs too! No credit card or any type of payment. Goodie Boxes are absolutely 100% free to you.

Monday, October 2, 2017

It's been a while since the ladies have made an appearance, and they aren't looking to pretty lately. They are molting like I have never seen before! I don't know if it's a sign of a bad winter coming? Or since they are getting older, maybe molting just hits them harder? I fully intend on researching this more when the garden winds down and I'm getting some couch time again. Are you chickens having a harder molt this year?

True story. One morning last week when I went to open up the coop for the day, I had to do a head count. There were so many feathers on the floor I was sure that a predator had snuck in and bad things had happened. Thankfully not. All were present and accounted for.

Here is how my pride and joy Annie normally looks.

Here is Annie today. Yikes!

This hen is one with more minor molting. The white gal behind her as a near naked rear side!

I wish I had a "before" picture of this lady to share, but she is nearly half her normal size right now.

Remember our new Black Copper Marans? Sadly, we lost Mr. about a month ago.

He got sick and we weren't able to save him.

But, Little Miss is healthy and our old rooster has taken her under his wing.

It's really quite entertaining to watch the dynamics of him and his ladies.

And, the most exciting thing is, she is laying already! Look at that beautiful chocolate colored egg.

Thursday, September 21, 2017

It's hard to believe all the damage that has been occurring in the past couple weeks. From Hurricane Harvey, to the wild fires out west, to Hurricane Irma. I'm sure many people are now having a watchful eye on Hurricane Maria.

I have several online friends in Florida, and reading about their preparation for Irma was absolutely nerve wracking. Thankfully, they all came through with minimal damage. My family and friends in South Carolina, are all safe as well.

The group of bloggers I met up with to show our support for Hurricane Harvey, is meeting up again in support of those impacted by Hurricane Irma. Sharing food is what we do, so this time sharing a recipe inspired by the Southeastern part of the U.S. or the Caribbean. Please be sure to scroll all the way to the links after the recipe to see what everyone else is sharing!

With Florida being in the news so much, I immediately thought "Citrus". And, while these bars are very close to a traditional lemon bar, the variety of citrus flavor coming from Limes, Oranges and Lemons, makes these so much brighter in flavor, and the perfect bar to take on a summer picnic or to a potluck. Or maybe even pack some up in a lunch which is what we are doing this week!

In large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, flour, and baking powder. Once well combined, add remaining zest, and 2 tablespoons each of lime, lemon, and orange zest. Mix well.

When crust is done. Remove from oven. Pour filling over baked crust. Bake for 20 minutes, or until set.

Once bars have cooled to room temperature, stir together powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon citrus juice (use whatever juice you have on hand). Add remaining juice as necessary until desired consistency is reached. Pour glaze over cooled bars, let set for 30 minutes before cutting.

Monday, September 18, 2017

September is here, and so is another Daily Goodie Box! So many fun and tasty things to try. Our friends have been here both times our box has shown up. They are so jealous, they signed up to get their own! We did share some of the Trolli Sour Bite Crawlers with them :)

Want to get a Daily Goodie Box? Goodie Boxes that are not only 100% free, but they also cover the shipping costs too! No credit card or any type of payment. Goodie Boxes are absolutely 100% free to you.

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Texas has always been special to me. That's where I remember our first family vacations, sitting on the beach, sand in my toes, friends that lived in houses on stilts, family that lived in the massive cities. I can remember walking the River Walk in San Antonio, and falling in love with the smell of corn tortillas. Later in life, my grandparents spent many many years being snowbirds in Mission, Texas.

With my love of Texas, I was excited when Carlee shared about this great group of bloggers coming together to show our support for those affected by Hurricane Harvey. How are we doing that? We are sharing tons of delicious Texas style recipes, so scroll down and check them all out! Also, we have some reputable charities for your consideration, if you feel inclined to donate.

For this occasion, I was talking to my mom, and she knew the recipe I needed. She said it was in the cookbook Gram and her Mission neighbors put together. I've never seen this cookbook before or heard of this cookbook before! I will be reading through this very carefully and see what other little gems I've been missing out on!

(Just for fun, a couple family photo's taken in San Antonio back in the 70's!)

Gram's Texas Style Mexican Rice was a delight. It comes together so fast, and easy. I spent more time chopping the onion and pepper, than I did anything else. I was worried that my husband wouldn't like the little bit of heat with the chiles, but he liked it! I think we are making progress :)

In large pan, saute onion and green bell pepper over medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Add rice, stirring to coat rice. Stir often until rice turns opaque. Add tomatoes, chiles, and spices. Stir until all are mixed through. Add chicken broth, and bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered for about 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat. Let set for 5 minutes before serving.

Sunday, September 10, 2017

It's certainly been a strange year for our garden, and definitely not one of our better years. While nothing specific has gone wrong, it's been a hard year.

On the positive side, our ornamental crops are doing outstanding.

Broom corn appears to be growing well. We don't know much about it yet, and this is our first year so we really are just winging it on this one.

Gourds are going to be bountiful. Everywhere you look is a gourd.

The ornamental corn has the most colorful tassels and ears, lets just hope it continues on the path of being colorful :)

Apparently I missed getting a photo of our pumpkins. They are doing really well. Not as numerous as past years, but they appear to be a very nice size.

We tried Blue Hubbard Squash for the first time.

Another first. Vermont Cranberry Beans. This is a dry shelling bean, so we have some time left yet before we can try this one. Excited to see how it turns out.

The tomatoes. Our tomato trellis ended up working better than we expected, and we will improve on this design next year. As far as the harvest, we would be doing good if they would turn red. Green tomatoes everywhere you look.

My first year for Poblano Peppers. I didn't think they were going to make it, but here they come.

While I was out, I noticed the berries on the asparagus. I thought it was pretty.

Things I didn't take a picture of were the onions and bell peppers. I normally freeze many pounds of both. We had a complete loss on the bell peppers. The second planting of the onions, went better, but they just don't grow. So, salad onions they are.

Carrots, Swiss Chard, Lettuce, all did nicely. Green Beans were looking sketchy, but they are finally producing nicely.

The "Fooled Ya" Jalapenos will be up for review soon. I picked some, and they are soooo mild, I wouldn't even know they are related to a jalapeno if it weren't for the shape. So, I am going to make Jalapeno Poppers this coming week, and my husband will have them for the first time. That will be the true test!

Sunday, September 3, 2017

As Hurricane Harvey was approaching the State of Texas, I was watching the news to keep up with it's movement. I was also watching the status and well being of friends on facebook. I have some distant family, old classmates, and some foodie friends all in Texas.

Only three of them were in an area to be immediately concerned. Two of them turned out just fine, with just some heavy rain. The other though, was not so fortunate. Right in the heart of it all was Adam and his family. I know Adam only from facebook and his blog Unorthdox Epicure, but this is a good man, and his updates were very concerning. The pictures he shared, were what nightmares were made of.

Yet, through all this, he is posting some of the most heart warming blog posts about what they are going through, and the good they are experiencing. The good in people.

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

In July, I got something REALLY cool in the mail. It's called Daily Goodie Box. I learned about this coolness from my friend Jess at Barefoot by the Sea. She's been the recipient of these boxes for quite a few months, and the fun stuff she was sharing inspired me to sign up.

This took me way to long to post and share, but I'm in the middle of changing jobs, and things are a bit chaotic! I promise next time I won't wait so long to share with you!

Want to get a Daily Goodie Box? Goodie Boxes that are not only 100% free, but they also cover the shipping costs too! No credit card or any type of payment. Goodie Boxes are absolutely 100% free to you.